Everyone knows that mums are busy looking after everyone in the family, from the kids to dad and even the family pet. But just who is looking after the mums? That’s a question that entrepreneur Rhian Allen set to answer just over a decade ago when she established an online health and fitness program specifically aimed at mothers.
Today, Rhian heads up The Healthy Mummy, the largest and most successful health and fitness programs aimed at mothers in the world, with more than 1.5 million social media followers as well as more than one million users on The Healthy Mummy website who are making positive changes to their lives and regaining their body confidence.
In fact, Rhian’s clients have collectively shed more than three million kilograms of unwanted weight so far, with more unwanted kilograms disappearing every day.
But, as Rhian says, her business is not just about shedding kilos – it’s about discovering a better way to live well.
“The thing I really love about our business is that it’s not just about weight loss, it’s about empowering mums to live a healthier life,” Rhian told Natarsha Belling on the set of GameChangers. “It’s about educating mums who in turn educate their families. “I feel proud because we’re actually doing something good in the world and I feel humble everyday at the feedback we receive and that we are actually making a difference to people’s health and their longevity.”
Rhian’s passion for mummy health and vitality began through her own experiences as a new mother. Ten years ago, when she was pregnant with the first of her two sons, Rhian realised that little existed in the market place to help new mothers regain their health and fitness after the birth of their children.
“There was nothing that took into account what it is actually like to be a tired and busy mum whose life, body, circumstances and budget has changed so dramatically,” recalls Rhian. “But I also knew there were so many new mums who wanted to be healthy and regain their body confidence after pregnancy and birth.”
And so, began a journey that has become Rhian’s driving purpose. She began researching the best methods for mums to exercise and improve their nutrition. The more she read, the more she was convinced her idea would work.
Finally, she quit her 12-year career in corporate media, sold her home and invested the funds in setting up The Healthy Mummy, a healthy and sustainable program just for mums – a program that was not only supportive but easy on the household budget.
“For us, it’s always been a priority, because when you become a mum your whole life changes, not just your budget and your body but your priority list changes and we all put our kids first,” says Rhian.
“What I do think is important though and what we do try to talk about, is that kids have a copycat kind of mentality. They copy what mum and dad are doing.
“If mum and dad are healthier and are being more positive around healthy living as well as healthy mind, that really rubs off onto the kids because we’re their role models.
Winning hearts and minds about healthy living is just a part of the program. It is also about education, understanding and motivation, says Rhian.
“Diets and weight loss have very negative connotations to them because it’s about restrictions and not having things,” says Rhian “So as humans, as soon as we go on something like that, we’re waiting for it to stop and it can be negative.
“For me and our business it’s all about education it’s about actually showing mums and families how to live a healthy life in a sustainable way. It’s about changing your life and learning to cook healthy food, how to do exercise easily so it’s not a burden or a chore and how to make positive life choices for your mental health as well as your physical health.”
The Healthy Mummy also likes to showcase just how successful it can be for its members who are following a healthy lifestyle.
“That’s a huge part of what we do,” says Rhian. “We have lots of different ambassadors in our community who are our mums. We call them motivating-mums and then mums who have been on their own journey and they’ve achieved incredible things and they’re there to mentor and help other mums as well so that’s a really big part of what we do as well.”
And for others who may be thinking about starting a business of their own, Rhian has some sage advice.
“The most important business advice that I’ve learnt just from experience is never give up, because there are always so many obstacles in business whether you’re just starting or you’ve been going for a number of years,” she says. “You just have to listen and figure it out, there’s always a different path and I think having that resilience and that never give up attitude is critical if you want to do something successful in business or in life.”
